The Dutch mobile services market grew 2.0 percent in 2006 to a value of EUR 6.04 billion, according to Telecompaper's quarterly mobile operator report. Service revenues in the fourth quarter totalled EUR 1.50 billion, down 5.0 percent form the previous three months but up 0.9 percent from the year-earlier period. T-Mobile was the only operator to show sequential revenue growth in the quarter. The number of mobile subscribers in the Netherlands reached 17.95 million at the end of 2006, up 2.2 percent from 17.56 million at the end of September and up 5.7 percent from 16.98 million at the end of 2005. Mobile penetration is now at 110 percent of the population. Postpaid users accounted for 45.2 percent of the total, after growing by more than 1 million in 2006.
KPN's share of mobile service revenues continued to rise, reaching 48.9 percent in the fourth quarter. Vodafone underperformed the market in the fourth quarter, seeing its revenues fall 15.5 percent from the third quarter, to EUR 364 million, and its market share drop to 24.2 percent. T-Mobile's service revenues grew 3.3 percent from the previous quarter and 9.7 percent form a year earlier, to EUR 282 million. Orange's service revenues fell 3.7 percent to EUR 121 million from EUR 126 million in the third quarter, while its market share was at 8.1 percent versus 8.0 percent in Q3 and 8.8 percent a year ago.
For 2007 and 2008, Telecompaper forecasts only a small increase in mobile revenues, with continued growth in customer numbers. Mobile revenues in 2007 and 2008 are estimated to grow a maximum 2 percent per year.
